JP3645108B2 - Manufacturing method of multiplexing / demultiplexing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a multiplexing / demultiplexing element that can be used in various optical elements and the like used in the fields of general optics and micro optics, and in the fields of optical communication and optical information processing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The multiplexing / demultiplexing element is the most basic passive circuit used when dividing one optical signal into a plurality of optical signals, or conversely combining a plurality of optical signals as one optical signal. And so forth, and a beam-based multiplexing / demultiplexing element using an optical fiber or an optical waveguide. Particularly in recent years, in order to enable wavelength multiplexing for a large amount of information processing in the field of optical information processing and optical communication, research and development of an optical waveguide type multiplexing / demultiplexing device has been actively conducted. There is a report of a multiplexing / demultiplexing device employing the above (reference: Masao Kawauchi, NTT R & D vol. 43 No. 11 p. 101 (1994)).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when such a conventional optical waveguide type multiplexing / demultiplexing device is applied to various circuits, there are points to be solved such as a lot of labor and time for mounting and assembling and complicated dedicated devices. Many. Therefore, the current situation is that conventional optical waveguide type multiplexing / demultiplexing devices are not widely used in various fields. In addition, from the above points, since highly skilled techniques are required for assembly, unlike the handling of electrical parts that are prevalent in ordinary households, there are no simple multiplexing / demultiplexing elements that can be handled at home. That is the current situation.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such a current situation, and an object thereof is to simplify mounting and assembly that is one of the factors that hinder the expansion of the field of use of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing the multiplexed / demultiplexed device .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A method of manufacturing a multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention includes a step of forming a first groove portion using a dicing saw from one end to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the surface of the container, and the first groove portion, Crossing the X shape and forming a second groove portion obliquely using a dicing saw from one end to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the surface of the container, and along the width direction of the surface of the container Forming a filter insertion groove so as to intersect the first groove portion and the second groove portion, and inserting an optical fiber into each of the first groove portion and the second groove portion. Of the optical fiber to be fitted, the step of fitting the outgoing side fiber of the transmitted light from the wavelength filter so as to contact the wavelength filter, and the intersection of the first groove portion and the second groove portion In part, the wavelength filter A step of forming an optical waveguide core by dripping an ultraviolet curable resin in the vicinity and irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin with ultraviolet rays through the optical fiber to cause photocuring, and then ultraviolet curing with a low refractive index. A step of forming a clad of the optical waveguide by further dripping a resin and irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin with ultraviolet rays through the optical fiber to cure the resin. Bonding and fixing each optical fiber fitted in the groove, the wavelength filter inserted in the filter insertion groove, and the optical waveguide provided in the intersecting portion to the first groove and the second groove. It is characterized by.
In addition, a photosensitive epoxy resin is used as an adhesive for bonding and fixing the optical fiber, the wavelength filter, and the optical waveguide to the first groove and the second groove.
Further, the optical fiber is a polymer clad optical fiber or a plastic optical fiber.
[0006]
Therefore, the characteristics of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention are outlined as follows.
[0007]
(1) A multiplexing / demultiplexing device can be manufactured simply by fitting an optical fiber and a wavelength filter into a groove portion of a container including a groove portion into which a polymer clad optical fiber or a plastic optical fiber is fitted and a groove portion into which a wavelength filter is fitted, and adhesively fixing them.
[0008]
(2) The above container can be easily produced.
[0009]
(3) Since the adhesive that adheres and fixes the optical waveguide, optical fiber, and wavelength filter to the groove of the container is a photosensitive epoxy resin, it is easy to handle and has excellent heat resistance.
[0010]
(4) As a wavelength filter fixed to the container, a film-like polymer film with a derivative multilayer film can be used. Therefore, since the film thickness is low and the thickness is thin, the increase in loss is small even when a filter is inserted.
[0011]
(5) Since the optical waveguide can be produced simply by irradiating light, it is inexpensive.
[0012]
The multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention will be specifically described below.
[0013]
For a method of creating an optical waveguide applied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing device of the present invention, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-148729.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An example of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention is shown in FIG. The multiplexing / demultiplexing element shown in this figure includes a groove portion 1 formed on the surface of the container 10 from one end to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the surface, intersecting the groove portion 1, and the longitudinal direction of the surface. A groove portion 2 formed obliquely from one end to the other end along the direction, and a groove portion 1 that extends along the width direction of the surface and intersects the groove portion 2. An optical waveguide 4 is provided at the intersection of these grooves 1, 2, and 3, and optical fibers 5, 6, and 7 connected to the optical waveguide 4 are fitted into the grooves 1 and 2, respectively. Yes. A wavelength filter 8 is fitted in the groove 3 so as to cross the optical waveguide 4. By the way, since the optical waveguide 4 is composed of the same component as the adhesive component, it also plays a role of bonding and fixing the optical fibers 5, 6, 7 and the wavelength filter 8.
[0015]
Hereinafter, a method for producing a container applied to the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention will be described. Here, two different methods will be described.
[0016]
<First method>
First, a substrate made of a material transparent from the short wavelength region to the near infrared region is prepared. Next, the substrate is grooved with a dicing saw. At this time, the groove width is closely related to the width of the blade of the dicing saw, and if the groove portion is processed for a normal plastic optical fiber (outer diameter 1 mm), a blade having a width of about 1 mm is used. In the case of a normal polymer clad optical fiber (outer diameter 230 μm), the blade width is about 230 μm. In the wavelength filter, the wavelength to be separated can be determined by the thickness of the dielectric multi-layer film and the separation angle is also uniquely determined. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, if the crossing angle of the groove is matched to the separation angle of the wavelength filter, Good. If a reflection type wavelength filter is used for the filter insertion groove, the filter insertion groove is formed so as to have a reflection angle with respect to the fiber groove.
[0017]
<Second method>
First, a substrate (for example, a plastic substrate) is prepared. Next, the photocurable resin is thinned on the substrate, the thin film is irradiated with ultraviolet rays through a mask by photolithography, and developed with an appropriate organic solvent to obtain a desired groove. At this time, the groove width is about 1 mm if the groove is processed for a normal plastic optical fiber (outer diameter 1 mm), and the width is about a normal polymer clad optical fiber (outer diameter 230 μm). It is about 230 μm.
[0018]
The container produced by either the first method or the second method is used in the following examples.
[0019]
(Example 1)
In this embodiment, a multiplexing / demultiplexing device using the container produced by the first method is produced.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device based on the present embodiment.
[0021]
The multiplexing / demultiplexing element shown in this figure has a groove portion 11 formed on the surface of the container 10 from one end to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the surface, intersecting the groove portion 11, and the longitudinal direction of the surface. The groove portion 12 is formed obliquely from one end to the other end along the direction, and the groove portion 11 extends along the width direction of the surface, and the groove portion 13 intersects the groove portion 12. An optical waveguide 14 is provided in the groove portions 11, 12 and the intersection portion 19 , and optical fibers 15, 16, and 17 connected to the optical waveguide 14 are fitted in the groove portion 11 and the groove portion 12, respectively. Yes. A wavelength filter 18 is fitted in the groove 13 so as to cross the optical waveguide 14 . A multiplexing / demultiplexing device having such a configuration was fabricated as follows.
[0022]
First, three grooves 11, 12, and 13 are formed on the surface of the container 10 produced by the first method.
[0023]
The grooves 11 and 12 had a depth of 235 μm and a width of 235 μm. The groove 13 is a groove into which a wavelength filter (thickness 20 μm, size 2 mm × 3 mm, 1.3 μm transmission, 1.55 μm reflection low-pass filter) is inserted, and the width is 30 μm and the depth is 350 μm.
[0024]
Next, three polymer clad optical fibers 15, 16, and 17 (both with one end FC connector and the other end covered and removed with an outer diameter of 230 μm) were inserted into the grooves 11 and 12 as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 15 is an incident side fiber in the case of a demultiplexing element, and 16 and 17 are outgoing side fibers. The emission side fiber 17 is an emission side fiber having a wavelength emitted by transmission, and 16 is an emission side fiber having a reflected wavelength. Finally, the wavelength filter 18 was fitted into the groove 13. The distances between the incident side fiber 15 and the outgoing side fiber 16 and the filter 18 were about 700 μm. Further, the emission side fiber 17 and the wavelength filter 18 were brought into contact with each other. Thereafter, an appropriate amount of a liquid ultraviolet curable epoxy resin was placed in the vicinity of the wavelength filter 18, and the resin was photocured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays through an optical fiber denoted by reference numeral 15. In this case, the distance between the incident side fiber 15 and the emission side fibers 16 and the emission side fibers 17 is at 1mm or less, the light is not spread so much, the incident-side fiber 15 and the exit-side full Aiba 16 and the emission side fibers 17 An optical waveguide 14 was formed between them. Thereafter, an ultraviolet curable epoxy resin having a low refractive index was dropped and photocured to prepare a clad. By this operation, the optical fibers 15, 16 and 17 and the wavelength filter 18 were bonded and fixed to the container 10. Through the series of operations, the multiplexing / demultiplexing device of the present invention was produced. When the device characteristics were measured, the insertion loss at the transmission port was 1 dB (wavelength 1.3 μm), the insertion loss at the reflection port was 1 dB (wavelength 1.55 μm), and the crosstalk was 30 dB or more.
[0025]
(Example 2)
Instead of the wavelength filter 18 of Example 1, a long-pass filter having a thickness of 20 μm, a size of 2 mm × 3 mm, a transmission of 13 μm, and a reflection of 0.85 μm was inserted to obtain the multiplexing / demultiplexing device of the present invention. When the element characteristics were measured, the insertion loss at the transmission port was 1 dB (wavelength 1.3 μm), the insertion loss at the reflection port was 1 dB (wavelength 0.85 μm), and the crosstalk was 35 dB or more.
[0026]
(Example 3)
In the container 10 of Example 1, the groove width was set to 1 mm, and a plastic optical fiber (both with one end FC connector and the other end covered and removed with an outer diameter of 1000 μm) was inserted instead of the polymer clad optical fibers 14, 15, 16. . A multiplexing / demultiplexing device of the present invention was obtained by inserting a low-pass filter having a thickness of 20 μm, a transmission of 0.58 μm, and a reflection of 0.65 μm. When the element characteristics were measured, the insertion loss at the transmission port was 2 dB (wavelength 0.58 μm), the insertion loss at the reflection port was 2 dB (wavelength 0.65 μm), and the crosstalk was 20 dB or more.
[0027]
(Example 4)
Instead of the plastic optical fiber in Example 3 (both with one end FC connector and the other end coated and removed with an outer diameter of 1000 μm), one end with an SC connector and the other end coated and an outer diameter of 250 μm was inserted. A low-pass filter having a thickness of 20 μm, 1.3 μm transmitting, and 1.55 μm reflecting was inserted to obtain the multiplexing / demultiplexing device of the present invention. When the element characteristics were measured, the insertion loss at the transmission port was 2 dB (wavelength 1.3 μm), the insertion loss at the reflection port was 2 dB (wavelength 1.55 μm), and the crosstalk was 20 dB or more.
[0028]
(Example 5)
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention. In the first to fourth embodiments, the wavelength filter has a single groove, but in this embodiment, two grooves are formed.
[0029]
The multiplexing / demultiplexing element shown in this figure is formed on the surface of the container 30 at an angle that crosses the groove 31 and is formed obliquely from one end to the other along the longitudinal direction of the surface. And two groove portions 32 and 33, and groove portions 34 and 35 extending along the width direction of the surface and intersecting the groove portion 31 and the groove portions 32 or 33. An optical waveguide 36 is provided in the groove 31 so as to be sandwiched between these two intersecting portions, and optical fibers 37, 38, 39, and 40 connected to the optical waveguide 36 are provided in the grooves 31, 32, and 40. 33 are respectively fitted. The wavelength filters 41 and 42 are in contact with the end face of the optical waveguide 36 in the grooves 34 and 35, respectively, and the thickness is 20 μm, the size is 2 mm × 3 mm, 1.3 μm, 0.85 μm, and the transmission is 1.55 μm. A reflective low-pass filter and a long-pass filter having a thickness of 20 μm, a size of 2 mm × 3 mm, a transmission of 1.3 μm, and a reflection of 0.85 μm were used. As an optical fiber, a polymer clad optical fiber was used in the same manner as in Example 1. When the element characteristics were measured, the insertion loss of each wavelength was 1.5 dB (wavelength 1.3 μm), the insertion loss was 1.5 dB (wavelength 1.55 μm), the insertion loss was 1.5 dB (wavelength 0.85 μm), and the crosstalk was 20 dB or more. Met.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, since the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention is configured as described above, it is easy to mount and assemble one of the factors that hinder the expansion of the field of use of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device. In addition, the price of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining a schematic configuration of a multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining an example of a multiplexing / demultiplexing element according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining another example of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Groove part 2 Groove part 3 Groove part 4 Optical waveguide 5 Optical fiber 6 Optical fiber 7 Optical fiber 8 Wavelength filter 10 Container 11 Groove part 12 Groove part 13 Groove part 14 Optical waveguide 15 Optical fiber 16 Optical fiber 17 Optical fiber 18 Wavelength filter 19 Crossing part 30 Container 31 Groove 32 Groove 33 Groove 34 Groove 35 Groove 36 Optical Waveguide 37 Optical Fiber 38 Optical Fiber 39 Optical Fiber 40 Optical Fiber 41 Wavelength Filter 42 Wavelength Filter

Claims (3)

Forming a first groove using a dicing saw from one end to the other along the longitudinal direction of the surface of the container;
Crossing the first groove portion with the X shape and forming the second groove portion obliquely using a dicing saw from one end to the other end along the longitudinal direction of the surface of the container;
Forming a filter insertion groove so as to intersect the first groove and the second groove along the width direction of the surface of the container, and inserting a wavelength filter;
When an optical fiber is fitted into each of the first groove and the second groove, an outgoing-side fiber of the transmitted light from the wavelength filter is fitted so as to come into contact with the wavelength filter. a step of writing,
By dripping an ultraviolet curable resin in the vicinity of the wavelength filter at the intersection of the first groove and the second groove, and irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin with ultraviolet rays through the optical fiber to cause photocuring. Forming the core of the optical waveguide;
Next, a step of further forming a clad of the optical waveguide by further dropping an ultraviolet curable resin having a low refractive index and irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin with ultraviolet rays through the optical fiber to cause photocuring,
Each of the optical fibers fitted in the first groove and the second groove, the wavelength filter inserted in the filter insertion groove, and the optical waveguide provided in the intersecting portion, the first groove and the A method of manufacturing a multiplexing / demultiplexing device, wherein the second groove is bonded and fixed. Said optical fiber, wherein said wavelength filter, and the optical waveguide, in claim 1 which comprises using a photosensitive epoxy resin as an adhesive for bonding and fixing to said first groove portion and the second groove Manufacturing method of the multiplexing / demultiplexing device. 3. The method of manufacturing a multiplexing / demultiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is a polymer clad optical fiber or a plastic optical fiber.

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